Cam mechanism for knitting machines



July 14, 1925.

G. -P. BOSWRTH CAM MECHANISM FOR KNI'ITING MACHINES Filed Oct. 1, 1920 Invenoi" @auf Patented July A14, 1925.

UNITED s'lufrssA PATENT ,o-FFICE.

GEORGE P. BOSWORTH, CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HEMPHILL COMPANY, 0F CENTRAL SETTS.

FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF :MASSACHU-v CALI MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MAGHINES.`

Application led October 1, 1920, Serial No. 414,085.

To all whom t may concern:

a citizen ot' the United States, and a resident of Central Falls, in the county oi' Providence and State of Rhode Island, have inventedV an Improvement in Cam Mechanism tor Knitting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciiication, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to knitting mechanisms and particularly to instruments for operating web holders, sinkers or 'similar elements and is an improvement over the invention disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 334,477 filed October 30, 1919, Patent 1,416,257 of May 16, 1922.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are illustrated certain embodiments thereof.

Inthe drawings Fig. 1 is adetail plan View, partly in section, of a so-called sinker ring vupon which the various cams for operating the sinkers or web holders are supported. i

F ig. 2 is a section taken on the curved line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately c-n the line 3-3 oic Fig. l showing the cap ring and the bed ring upon which said cap ring is mounted, a portionot the needle cylinder and needle and web holder mounted in their respective members.

rlhe present invention is applicable to various types of machines but the present embodiment involves a circular knitting machine having the principal characteristics of4 the so-called Banner machine disclosed in the Hemphill Patent No. 933,443 patentedpendently movable needles, the needle cylin der and cam ring having relative rotary movement so as to effect the operation of the reciprocating elements, herein web holders or sinkers.

' In the drawings, 1 represents a needle cyl-v inder having a series of needles 2 arranged to be reciprocated therein in the usual Amanner. Attached to the cylinder 1 is a sinker or web holder bed ring 3 having the usual grooves 4 radially disposed `'with'relation to the center of the needle cylinder to receive the web holders or sinkers 5.

The needles 2 are raised and lowered in the usual loop forming manner by appropriate knitting cams, not here shown.

In some machines the reciprocating elements, above'reierred to.V areemployed to sink the yarn between the stems or lingers of the needles when in their elevatedpositions while, in other machines, similar elements may be used for holding the web during the raising or' the needles to prevent said web from being elevated therewith particularly where no tension is applied to the knitted fabric.

Vhen such elements are used means are required to impart the necessary reciproca-ting movements thereto in order to effect the cooperation of said elementswith the needles and, whether sinkers' orv web holders are employed, similar reciprocating means arev necessary.V

eoV

i In the present example the reciprocating i elements are in the form of web holders, herein indicated by Anumerals 5 and these web holders are of any suitable ydesign for engaging the work and holding the same during the raising of theneedles to prevent said work from beingcarried upwardly thereby..v These web holders, as is customary with such elements, are provided withl operating butts 6 herein projecting upwardly from4 the upper edge of the web holders.

To reciprocate said web holders, the present embodiment involves the use of ay cap ring 7 comprising an outer member 8 and an inner member 9, the latter being arranged concentric with said outer member and engaging said outer member along the annular line 10. rIhe outer member 8 has an an nular lportion 11 while the inner member '9` has an annular portion 12 separated from the annular portion 11 by an annular groove 13 Within which thev operating butts 6 ot'` the web holders are arranged to project so that said butts may engage and be controlled by the opposed Jlaces of the members 11 and 12.

The under faces of said annular members lie substantially in the same plane, alsl shown at 15, Fig. 2, and are adapted to engage the' upper edges of theweb libld'ersy and rest upo'n the corresponding upper vtace et the web holder bed ring 3 that is, upon the topsof' the walls of the grooves tor the web holder, thus providing suitable support and guiding means Jfor said ring. The outer margin of the ring` 7 i'sextended at i4 below the upper edge of theweb holder bed ring 3 and constitutes a guide for said cap ring,

thus properly positioning the latter upon said bed ring. l Y

In knitting machines with which the present mechanism is to be'u'sed, the needle carrier and the cams which 'reciprocate the needles in the grooves et the cylinder, are capable of relative ,rotary Vand reciproeatory movementsv and the mechanism 'ior etifecting'these rela-tive movements fare very well known to 'those' skilled inthe art, there tore no description or 'illustration thereof is be` lieved necessary.

During thefreciprocating ,movements of the knitting machineit is'desirablev to effeet a'relative 'movement between the cam ring and the reciprocatingelements or web holders and in the presentfezlainple means are ,provided consisting o't "a two-armed bracket 16 vattached 'to said'cap ring hererinrby screws 17.

such as to permit a slightshogging movement ofthe ring to ltake place during the reciprocations of the needle `cylinder in a manner common to machines oi the type disclosed.

When relative reciprocating movements are desired betweentheneedle cylinder and the cap ring, as in the vformation of Hat webs, or heel and toe pockets, two setsof cams are usually employed for operating the web holders at the proper intervals Ito cooperate with the needles in the loop forining operations. Hence in the presentexample two such sets of cams are provided,

v each setincludinga webholder advancing camv and a web holder retracting cam, said sets being suitably spaced to eiect the movements of the web holders at the proper points in tliewknitting In `the present example the retracting'cam members are sho-wn at 21 and'22- mounted upon Vthe innerl ring member' 9whil`e the advancing cammeinbers, asshown at 23 and 24, are carried by the outer Vmember 8 of said cap ring and, during the operations of the machine, said inner and outer ring members are caused to cooperate 'in theirV action by appropriate stops consisting of brackets 25 securedto one ot' the ring members, herein the outer member 8 and bearing adjusting screws 26 arranged in opposed relation to engage opposite portions of an abutment 27 secured to the other ring member, herein the member V9. Obviously the brackets 25 may be 'disposed at predetermined distances apart so as to cause the lscrews 26 to engage said abutment when desired but herein said brackets are placed so close together that but very slight `relative movement is permitted to take place between said ring members.

The retracting vcam members 21 and 22 may embody various Yforms but herein said members are made in sections conforming substantially to the dimensions of the annular portion ot the inner ring member 9, and

these cam members are halved 'at 28 and 29 as shown in Fig. 2 and are pivoted together and to'said'inner ring'member9 bya common pivotal stud 30, and within a gap or recess formed in the annular portion of said ring 9 so that said members will set flush with the lower plane 15. The coinbined vertical thickness or depth of said halved portions are equal to the depth of i'lie annular groove 13.

Short sections of said members 21 and 22 adjacent their free ends, are offsetat31 and 32 and these sections engage the butts of the web holders and cause them to be retracted beyond the circular path normally followed when said web holders are in engagement with the outer edge ot the annulai'-portion 12 representing the advanced positions of said web holders.

The inner edges ofthe members 21 and 22 are cut away at 33 and 35i respectively so that the total lateral extent of the cam members at the oiiset portions will bethe same as the remainingportions oi saidf cams and also the annular member 12. By reasonv of the arrangement of said members 21 and 22, the positions of the web holder deflecting portions 31 and 32 may be varied relatively to the axis of the ring to effect the desired throw of the web holders. and to secure said members 31 and 32 in the desired positions, means are herein provided consisting of screws 35 and 36 extending through slots 37 in the upper part of said ring and into screw-threaded engagement with said cams so that, by 'turning said screws to clamp the tree ends of the camsV against the under tace of the ring. said cams will be maintained in the desired operative positions. v

The free ends of the retracting cam memhul iis

bers 21 and 22 are curved at 38 on an arc, the axis whereof is coincident with the axis of the screw 3G and these curved end-s are adapted to engage correspondingly curved surfaces 39 at opposite ends of the annular member 12 which, in order to prevent wear, due to the constant hammering of theV web holders, are composed of hardened steel sections 40 inserted in appropriate recesses formed at the end of said member so as io lie flush with said member 12 and form continuations thereof.

The advancing cam members 23 and 24 for the web holders are provided with camV faces 41 arranged in suitable spaced relation to cooperate With the cams 31 and 32, and these cam surfaces are formed upon suitable inserts 42 and 43 set into a suitable recess or gap 44 formed in the outer annular member 1l. The ends of the members 42 and 43 bearing the cam surfaces 41 are adjustably mounted with respect to the cams 3i and 32 to effect varations in the movements of said web holders, hereby by slotting the upper portion of the ring member 8 at 45 and extending through said slots are screws 46 which have screw-threaded engagement with the ends of said cam members and are adapted to secure the same firmly against the under face of the enter member 8. The opposite ends of said members 42 and 43 are pivoted at 47.

i/Vhile I have herein shown and described one embodiment of my invention and have disclosed and discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incidental to such disclosure, it is distinctly to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts nor to the specific application herein shown but that extensive variations may be made without departing from the principlesv thereof.

Claims.

1. ln knitting machine adapted for rotary and reciprocating knitting, a series of readily movable web holders or the like, a ring having inner and outer members capable of relative circumferential or Shogging movement and adapted to engage opposed portions of said web holders, the outer member of said ring carrying two spaced web holder advancing cams and the inner member of said ring carrying a pair of retracting cams,v mounted for relative adjustment one to the other and adapted to cooperate with said advancing cams respectively.

2. In a knitting machine adapted for rotary and reciprocating knitting, a series of readily movable web holders or the like, a

. ring having inner and outer members capable or relative circumferential or shogging movement and adapted to engage opposed portions of said web holders, the

outer member of said ring carrying two spaced web-holder advancing cams and the inner member of said ring carrying a pair of retracting cams, said retracting cams comprising two parts having a common pivot and adapted to be swung independently thereon for adjustment and cooperation with respect to said advancing cams.

3. in a. knitting machine adapted for rotary and reciprocating knitting, a series of readily movable web holders or the like, a. ring having inner and outer members capable of relative circumferential or Shogging movement and adapted to engage opposed portions of said web holders, the outer member of said ring carrying two spaced web-holder advancing lcams and the inner member of said'ring carrying a pair of retracting cams, said retracting cams having a common pivot carried by said inner member and individually adjustable thereabout into cooperating relation with the respective advancing cams.

4. In a knitting machine adapted for rotary and reciprocating knitting, a series of readily movable web holders or the like, a ring having inner and outer members capable of relative circumferential or shogging movement and adapted to engage 'opposing portions of said web holders, the outer member of said ring carrying two widely spaced web-holder advancing cams, and the inner member of said ring having a curved portion 12, the ends whereof are spaced apart substantially the distance of said advancing cams from each other, said inner member of the ring also carrying a pair of retracting cams mounted for relative adjustment one to the other and extending in opposite directions substantially to the ends of said portion 12, so as to cooperate y therewith.

In a knitting machine adapted for rotary and reciprocating knitting, a series of readily movable web holders or the like, a ring having inner and outer members capable of relative circumferential or shogging movement and adapted to engage opposing portions of said web holders, the outer member of said ring carrying twowidely spaced web-holder advancing cams, and the inner member of said ring having a curved portion l2, the ends whereof are spaced apart substantially the distance of said advancing cams from each other, said inner member of the ring also carrying a pair of retracting cams themselves comprising two parts having a common pivot and adapted to be swung independently thereon for adjustment and cooperation with respect to said advancing cams, said retracting cams extending substantially into contact with lthe ends of the portion 12.

6. In a knitting machine adapted for rotary and reciprocating knitting, a series of readily movable web holders or the likeA` a ring having innerl and outer members eapable or relative circumferential or Shogging movement and adapted to engage opposing portions of said Web holders, one ot said members carrying,- an abutment, and the other of said members carrying adjustable stops to engage therewith and limit the eX- tent of the relative circumferential or Shogging movement, the outer member of said ring carrying,` two spaced Web-holder advancing cams, and the inner member of said ringl carrying a pair of retracting cams mounted for relative adjustment one to the other and adapted to cooperate with said advancing cams respectively;

7. in a knitting machine adapted tor rotary and reciprocating knitting` a series of readily movable Web holders or the like, a ring having inner and outer members capableV of .relative :circumferential or shogging movement and adapted to engage op; posing portions of said Web holders, one of said memberslcarrying an abutment and the other of said members carrying at opposite sides of said abutment a pair of brackets having adjustable stops extending into sub; stantially close proximity to opposite faces of said abutment, thereby to limit the rela--y tive circumferentiz'tl or shogging movement7 the outer member oit' said ring carrying two spaced Web-holder advancing cams and the inner member of said ring,` carrying' a'pair oft retractingeams mounted for relative ad'- justment one to the other andvadapted to yeo-Y op'erate with saidIv advancing cams respee tively. e

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE P. BOSVORTH. 

